Dell, Trend Micro and Verizon

September 17, 2010

This is a saga but I am going to try for the short version. At the 2 ½ year mark my Dell laptop XPS 1530 died suddenly. I mean you got no error message and it would not boot up. Well, after a two hour phone conversation with Anne, a helpful technician at Dell, it was determined that my motherboard and hard drive would be replaced. Luckily I had purchased the 3 year hardware warranty with in home service.

In a timely fashion Luis, Dell technician extraordinaire, arrived at my house with the replacement parts and completed the installation. I can not complement his expertise and professionalism enough. He even left the hard drive with me so that I could get a copy of it made within 10 days before mailing it (the old hard drive) back to Dell. After Luis’s work was completed it took about one hour for the files to expand and the computer to be ready for use. Except for one little, tiny detail I could not connect to the internet. Now I ask you of what use is a computer which does not connect to the internet.

Next thing I did was call Verizon, my DSL provider, and explain my problem. After resetting the modem and router and with my Dell desktop having no internet connection issue it was determined by the Verizon tech that a software problem existed with Cisco, the maker of the router and that for a fee Verizon would resolve it – thanks but no thanks. My next step was to call Dell and see if they could facilitate my ability to connect to the internet, This is where the tale gets rather ugly.

The first tech I spoke to, Reese, informed me that it was a software issue and that again for a fee that could resolve it. I asked to speak to a supervisor as it was my belief that since they had repaired my computer at the very least, they should turn it over to me in the same working condition I had previously enjoyed – namely a viable internet connection. Reese dragged his feet and remained on the line hoping I would agree to the fee for resolving my problem or simply go away. I asked again to speak to a supervisor and Reese responds with he’s making his way down here.

Then Peter, floor supervisor from Hell, gets on the line. He was a broken record if there ever was one. At least six times he stated his mantra – this is a software issue and your warranty only covers hardware problems. He was condescending in the manner in which he kept repeating himself as though I didn’t 'understand' what he was saying the first time. It gets better since I have a Dell desktop and printer he offered me a one year contract for $239 to resolve this and any future software issues on all three Dell products. I repeated my concern that my computer should be working, including an internet capability, after their tech had worked on it. After some back and forth now Peter tells me that he has the authority as a manager to give me a deal of $99 for the same service contract which was $239 mere minutes ago. Talk about a snake-oil salesman. This went a long way toward my losing much respect for the Dell brand. When I declined his 'deal' he informed me that if I didn’t take it and called back later it would not be available. Now we are getting into the area of a threat. I would not be intimidated and ended the call hearing the usual words “thank you for choosing Dell”. Thank you for nothing!

I decided again to troubleshoot the problem myself. It was very important for me to be able to resolve this internet connection issue as I wanted to reinstall my security program from Trend Micro at their website. After about another hour and much frustration I unchecked a box, located in the connections area of my computer. It was for Trend Micro driver and that program was not even on the new hard drive. Well low and behold my connection went from limited to full internet connection – hurrah!!! A simple unchecked box and not $239 solved my problem.

I called Trend Micro for assistance in downloading the security program. The first tech said that after I download the program it would run. Well it didn’t and the message was that it was 'on the computer'already – not this new hard drive. After the second tech had me delete certain files it still would not run the security program. James said he would send me a tool in an e mail to uninstall any previous Trend Micro files and then the new program should run. Well, thank you James as that was the solution. So, now I have internet access and a security program on my computer.

So, the better part of three days was spend getting my computer 'humming again'. I won’t get into the hours spent reinstalling Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop Premiere and Elements, Adobe Reader etc. etc. There you have it. Working computers are a thing of beauty. The other kind not so much…

Meeting Writer, Christopher Rice

Who would ever think that a book-signing could be a highlight of the summer season!?! In my case, so far, it has been. On Friday August 20th it was my good fortune to get to Provincetown, MA for Christopher Rice’s signing of his latest book The Moonlit Earth.

It proved to be a unique experience, an honor even. To meet such an intelligent, kind, friendly and engaging person as Christopher was wonderful. I was about the 7th one in line when the author arrived 10 minutes early just before 6:00 PM. He was dressed casually for summer vacation but did he ever look good – what a handsome man!

When he began to sign his book, it was clear that he was more than willing to pose for photos and to converse with his readers. I recently read Light Before Day, loved it, and was anxious to get his latest out since April. It was a pleasure to meet Christopher and to tell him how much I like his writing style and his character development. In addition I was able to compliment his mother, Anne Rice, and her courage in recently taking leave of Christianity. He told me that soon he and his mother would have a joint interview to discuss this intense and controversial matter. I will definitely look forward to it.

So often when you make plans to meet someone you admire ( I have been to many of my favorite authors book signings) the result is less that satisfactory. On this occasion Christopher Rice surpassed any expectation I might have had. Thank you, Christopher, for being you and for sharing some meaningful moments with your readers.

~~~Thank you to the gentleman who was in line behind me and graciously agreed to take the photo of Christopher and me.

Stevie in the Studio

My favorite singer, Stevie Nicks, has been in the studio since February with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. She is doing a few concerts this month and I can't wait to see her in Atlantic City on August 27th. Needless to say I am anxiously awaiting the release of Stevie's first new album in 10 years.

Back Again and Better Than Ever

Yesterday I had a most pleasant surprise. After I finished my volunteer tutoring in Roslindale I decided to drive to Norwood and to see when my car would need its first service. The onboard computer is telling me another 4000 miles for my first oil change. But since my xDrive 328i was one year old on June 1st I wanted to check.

So, I spoke to my salesperson, David, who is now in the finance department. I asked him to recommend a service consultant. I knew that Kim, so kind and so efficient, had left the job a year ago. At the time it felt like losing friend. I'm sure anyone who has experienced any stress related to car maintenance can identify.

Well, was I ever thrilled when David said those magic words, "Kim's back!" She had taken a few months off to spend more time with family. Talk about a dream come true or the answer to a prayer!

It may sound and seem silly but the confidence I have in Kim and the way she does her job by going that extra mile ie well founded. Just today she made it possible for my car to have that first service, including oil change, replacing windshield wiper blades, checking car pressure, getting an inspection sticker etc. The BMW $0 new car maintenance for four years is a priceless relief.

When the Ordinary Is Special

How you ask! Well it began with getting a good night’s sleep last night – so not the usual occurrence. I am in Reston, VA spending time with my dear cousin. It is our annual get together built around the Red Sox playing the Orioles at Camden Yard. The coming weekend is sure to be fun. So, anyhow this morning I was relaxing as I read the Times, did the puzzle (well part of it), sipped some delicious coffee and watched some morning TV. The View would have Whoopi coming out at 11:00 AM in a green Celtics jersey all set to root for Boston against Los Angeles tonight! What a lovely surprise!

At around noon I headed for the pool on the top floor. It was a perfect time to read my almost finished book The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. Later when I went for a swim it was refreshing and there was the added bonus of two friends who were both entertaining and educational. Both women were of Afghan descent but much Americanized. One has a mother who works at the Pentagon. Both of them could get six figure jobs working for the US government as interpreters but are unwilling to subject themselves to the danger of returning to their native land. To make the conversation even more interesting the life guard was from Russia and spoke about how controlling her boy friend back home is with his 20 calls a day. We all advised her to run the other way and one of the other girls offered to set her up with one of her cousins – too funny!

After returning to the apartment I got myself ready for a walk to Plaza America only about 20 minutes away. I meandered around Whole Foods and then had a soup/tuna roll lunch. By the time I headed home it was raining, not a downpour but enough to get pretty wet. Back home I came to find out that the Sox were edged by the A’s 9-8. What was that about ‘run prevention and very little offense in 2010!?!

Time to catch up with my favorite TV series, Nurse Jackie. You see I don’t have Showtime and must depend on visits to family to get caught up on season two using On Demand. Cousin Curl is putting in twelve hour days unfortunately but she’ll be home for the opening game of the NBA Finals Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers. A Celtics victory would be the highlight of a near perfect day.

After Almost ¼ of the 2010 Boston Red Sox Season

Well it’s not as though I know anything more or less about the Olde Town Team than I did in Spring Training. The word was out and was shouted loud and often that this edition of the Boston Red Sox would focus on ‘run prevention’ with great pitching and outstanding defense. Just ask Theo Epstein who got the word out early. To this end the front office signed the best free agent pitcher available, Los Angeles Angel John Lackey as well as gold-glovers Mke Cameron and Adrian Beltre.

So, with the signing of Lackey there emerged what many thought was the best starting pitching in all of baseball, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Bucholtz and Tim Wakefield with the rehabbing Daisuke Matsuzaka waiting in the wings. Lackey was numero uno starter for the Angels and as a result the Sox were said to have three #1 starters, Beckett, Lester, Lackey – an embarrassment of riches. But something happened as the first 38 games of the MLB season unfolded.

Josh Beckett after a very good opening day win against the New York Yankees was uncharacteristically wild in his next starts with a 7:00+ ERA and posted no further victories. Jon Lester got off to his usual slow start but has improved and is now 3-2with a respectable 3:91 ERA and 54 K’s. John Lackey got off to a fast start but was shaky in his last outing as he comes in at 4-2 with a 4:86 ERA. He has walked more batters than usual. Clay Bucholtz remains a conundrum – dominating one time, knocked around the next. Presently he is 4-3 with an ERA of 3:46 but with 22 walks and only 28 strike outs. Innings eater knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, off to a poor start with an 0-2 record and an ERA of 5:63 was relegated to the bullpen when Dice-K was ready to start for the big club. After three starts Matsuzaka is 2-1 with a decidedly not pretty 6:35 ERA.

The bullpen thought to be a major strength of this club has been erratic and undependable. The closer, Jonathan Papelbon, has not blown a save but is only 1-2 with an ERA of 1:47 after 16 IP. Daniel Bard has been up and down. Hideki Okajima was given a week off when he experienced a slow start and some health issues. Manny Delcarmen may be coming around but Ramon Ramirez has not done well and newcomer, Scott Schoeneweiss is a bit of a disaster. So, you see that the pitching is a ‘work in progress.


Now to the vaunted defense – gold-glovers Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis have been steady on the right side of the infield. The Sox signed Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutero in the off season. Scutero had some early trouble going to his left and Beltre has been anything but the gold-glover the Red sox thought they were getting. He has 7 errors and often looks uninterested. It’s alarming how he fails to cut off balls headed for shortstop. As for the outfield, Mike Cameron has been injured and out of the line-up for over a month. When he was in there he wasn’t getting good reads on balls hit toward him in centerfield at Fenway. Jacoby Ellsbury was playing in his sixth game when a collision with Beltre resulted in four fractured ribs. Cameron is rehabbing with AAA starts and Ellsbury had his first rehab start today in Pawtucket. J.D. Drew has been his usual dependable self in right field.


So there you have it between the lack of quality starts, and the lack of a dependable bullpen the Red Sox sport a mediocre record of 19 wins and 19 losses. As of May 3rd their fielding percentage was the second worst in the American League although it has been better in recent days. The feeling of confusion about what we can expect, injuries aside, from this team may be answered shortly as they face a tough schedule of games with the Yankees, Twins, Phillies and Rays in the next ten days. Personally I’m finding it hard to accept that the 2010 Boston Red Sox may be no better than a .500 team. Time will tell…

Raspberries To:

Underwire bras which set off airport security requiring a full body search to indeed verify that one is not wearing a weapon of mass destruction~

Fridays when the Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox all lose~

Photo discs made on a Mac which can't be played on a PC~

Mean people~

People who don't listen~

MLB pitchers unraveling~

NBA teams not playing defense~

Those who neglect to show appreciation - even with a simple thank you~

Hall of Fame football players accused of rape. Does the name Lawrence Taylor, former New York Giant, ring a bell?

The Vatican which is in the process of too little too late with regard to 'predatory priests' - can this old boys club ever come into the 21st century with regard to equal treatment of women?

Hilarious

~In Brookline~

April 20, 2010

I must say that I have always had a soft spot for the Town of Brookline from the fine school system to the priceless mansions to the vast array of restaurants and most importantly to the best doctors anywhere. That said, last Friday I got a parking ticket while I was at The Coolidge Corner Theatre. A fantastic movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was playing there. Subtitles and all it was as good as the amazing book. Anyhow, I had dutifully put my coins in the meter and knew that I had three hours. Imagine my surprise after the film ended when I spotted the yellow ticket torn and wet on my windshield.

With a little detective work my mistake became clear. I had put my money in the meter facing front and not the one to the left, the correct one. I wonder if others have erred in this way. Anyhow I went directly to the police station to explain my blight only to discover the next hearing to dispute a ticket would be held on Tuesday morning April 20th. Of course I made my way to Brookline today and after about a 30 minute wait a very nice sergeant heard my story. The good news is that he reduced my ticket from $25.00 to a $5.00 fine which I paid immediately. I felt satisfied with the result.

To celebrate I decided to go right around the corner to one of my favorite places, Matt Murphy’s where they have the best shepherd’s pie this side of Ireland. It’s made the proper way with lamb, real mashed potatoes, carrots and turnip. I placed my order to go and waited the 10 minutes in the Pub. A very caring waitress brought over a cup of tea with milk and raw sugar. I was so taken aback at her thoughtfulness. Irish hospitality is alive and well at Matt Murphy’s. Oh and by the way the shepherd’s pie was every bit as good as I remembered it. Just another reason to love Brookline!

Worthy of Praise

Kudos To:

The imaginative young priest at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Boston who quoted Bono’s lyrics from a U2 song during a Holy Week sermon~

Jessie the sweet, gentle, funny lady who celebrated her 97th birthday this month~
All those who love baseball and follow their team obsessively – that means you Red Sox Nation~

Sister Nancy and her staff for their tireless efforts at Casserly House~
The Fontbonne Academy class of 1960 as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of their high school graduation~

Fontbonne’s first principal an amazing woman of wisdom and grace, Sister Flavia, who died last Christmas Eve.

Those who are careful not to litter as well as those whose job it is to clean the inevitable litter~

A certain puppy who has brought so much joy to a wonderful family~
A loving niece and her selfless generosity~

The novelist, Pat Conroy, whose book South of Broad is beautifully written poetic prose~

The Ledge Restaurant in Lower Mills Dorchester – terrific food, tasty drinks, attentive service and a lively atmosphere~

Heathrow Airport for shutting down operations due to the danger posed by volcanic ash from Iceland~

The Library of Congress for acquiring the entire Twitter archive with 50M tweets a day that’s a lot of 140 or less characters~

John Lackey for the ease with which he has assimilated himself as a member of the Boston Red Sox~

The first woman, Katherine Bigelow, to get an oscar for best director for the phenomenal movie The Hurt Locker~

Carrie Fisher whose blog can always make me laugh~

To those who care enough to research and preserve the memory and accomplishments of their ancestors~

All who make kindness a priority in their daily interactions with others~

A New Day In Massachusetts - Remembering Senator Edward M. Kennedy

It has been some time since I sat down to blog. File under past due! I got very side tracked chronicling every Red Sox game at www.dak126-sox09.blogspot.com during the 2009 season. I had wanted to honor Senator Edward Moore Kennedy with some heart-felt words when he died August 25, 2009. But I didn’t know where to start and so I didn’t. After the special election last Tuesday I began to think it’s time. The election saw the seat occupied by Ted Kennedy for nearly 47 years go to a little known but tireless campaigner Massachusetts Republican State Senator, Scott Brown.

Needless to say it was a staggering blow to those who believed in Kennedy’s life-long ambition that good and decent health care be made available to all Americans including low income people as well as those with pre-existing conditions. The Democratic candidate, State Attorney General Martha Coakley, seemed to take her election as a given, failed to connect with the people and generally speaking wasn’t a very good ‘candidate’. These factors plus an angry electorate tired of the tight job market, the bank bailouts, the big bonuses, the perceived out of control spending and the rancor of Washington politicians all contributed to the 5% triumph of our new Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, the first Republican elected to that office since Edward Brooke in 1972.

On an emotional level it’s a strange irony that the man who will succeed Senator Kennedy will now have the 41st vote which effectively blocks the health care legislation currently before Congress. My hope is that both sides of the aisle will put aside partisanship and really work together to accomplish what the American people are looking for among other things more jobs and a better economic climate.

To honor Edward M. Kennedy and his service to our country I begin with his very own words:

“I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family as the youngest of nine children. By their words, their actions, and their love our parents instilled in all of us the importance of the ties that bind us together – our faith, our family and our love of this great country.”

Ted Kennedy spent his whole career in public service working for the underdog, for those less fortunate, for those in need often giving voice to the powerless. To recount but three of the senator’s accomplishments I start with the fact that today there are 1200 community health centers in all 50 states giving low income Americans access to quality primary care due in large part to Senator Kennedy’s vision and inspired work.*

Next, in the words of Reg Weaver, the immediate past President of the National Education Association:

“Every major education law passed since the 1960’s has borne Kennedy’s imprint, from Head Start to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. He has proven himself, time and again, to be a fighter for children and educators.”

Finally, Senator Kennedy has always been a leading Congressional advocate of a fair minimum wage. Fittingly, he saw the minimum wage increase 16 times during his years of service in the United States Senate.

Countless words have been spoken about the senator and how he was the master of compromise enabling him to get the people’s business done. Even more words of praise were spoken during the period of mourning after Edward Moore Kennedy died last August 25th. The public wake at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum saw folks standing in a line half a mile long for many hours to pay their respects. In a classy gesture, Vicki, Ted’s wife and other members of the family spoke to those waiting in line and thanked them for their presence and support.

Ted Kennedy was an outstanding and devoted senator. His friends and colleagues, both Republican and Democratic, gave memorable tributes at his funeral. But the most emotional and moving words came from his son, Edward Kennedy Jr. Losing his leg to cancer and battling the disease as a child Teddy spoke about how his father’s love and determination to help him made all the difference in his young life. Family man, loving husband to Vicki, father to the children of his assassinated brothers, John and Robert, tireless legislator, and advocate for those in need are just a few ways to describe this amazing man.

Was he a perfect man? No, far from it but he knew enough to change his harmful behaviors and to address his destructive ways. He was a man of faith who was humble and sorrowful enough to write to Pope Benedict XVI shortly before he died of a malignant brain tumor to ask for prayers and to seek forgiveness for any wrong-doings.

It goes without saying that I have long admired the Kennedy family, their service to America often at a great price, their willingness to stand up for and with common folks, their dedication to serving in the military, their closeness as a family and most of all the help given to the many with no fanfare or sought for recognition.

An accomplished sailor Ted found great solace and renewal in his closeness to the sea and especially those beautiful waters of the Atlantic Ocean at his beloved Hyannisport, MA home. Rest in peace, Teddy, the ninth and youngest child of Joseph Patrick and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy you always seemed to renew my optimism in what was possible.

I will close with a thank you to Senator Edward M. Kennedy for his kind and generous heart and for all that he did to make the lives of ordinary Americans better. You are missed beyond imagining…

*Source: http://kennedy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Kennedy%20Accomplishments.pdf